Last few years the butts locally were in twenty pound packs with two
chunks of 10lbs each packed together usually about $1/lb. @ $20 per
package.

This year went to two stores (Costco and Smart and Final ) and both
places had different brands, but both places the average package was
13lbs, not 20, and going for $1.50/lb. So total price was still about
$20 per package.

Same damn trick they're doing with propane.

"Tutall" > wrote in message
...
>
> Last few years the butts locally were in twenty pound packs with two
> chunks of 10lbs each packed together usually about $1/lb. @ $20 per
> package.
>
> This year went to two stores (Costco and Smart and Final ) and both
> places had different brands, but both places the average package was
> 13lbs, not 20, and going for $1.50/lb. So total price was still about
> $20 per package.
>
> Same damn trick they're doing with propane.

The only thing that matters is the price per pound. I bought a couple of
butts and they were about 16# total, a typical size here. Meat varies
because the animals do so forget about package price. Boneless loins were
1.79 today, baby back 3.49, country ribs 1.29

On May 30, 7:10*pm, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:
> "Tutall" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
>
>
> > Last few years the butts locally were in twenty pound packs with two
> > chunks of 10lbs each packed together usually about $1/lb. @ $20 per
> > package.
>
> > This year went to two stores (Costco and Smart and Final ) and both
> > places had different brands, but both places the average package was
> > 13lbs, not 20, and going for $1.50/lb. So total price was still about
> > $20 per package.
>
> > Same damn trick they're doing with propane.
>
> The only thing that matters is the price per pound. *

Of course you're right, but that's also a bit trite. We'd become
accustomed to the size and price and my wife got took in as she wasn't
paying attention. We needed to buy 80 pounds of raw butt, because of
the size decrease she ended up with 52 and had to make another trip to
the store.

>I bought a couple of
> butts and they were about 16# total, a typical size here. *Meat varies
> because the animals do so forget about package price.

I have a hard time believing that this years pigs are 35% smaller.
Every, single, package, is, always, within, one to two, pounds of each
other, last year and today.

It would seem more likely that "they" don't want to sell packages for
much more than $20 and size them that way than this years pigs are
that much smaller.

It would seem that total package price is what it's about.

On 30-May-2009, Eddie > wrote:

> On Sat, 30 May 2009 16:26:01 -0700 (PDT), Tutall >
> wrote:
>
> >
> >Last few years the butts locally were in twenty pound packs with two
> >chunks of 10lbs each packed together usually about $1/lb. @ $20 per
> >package.
> >
> >This year went to two stores (Costco and Smart and Final ) and both
> >places had different brands, but both places the average package was
> >13lbs, not 20, and going for $1.50/lb. So total price was still about
> >$20 per package.
> >
> >Same damn trick they're doing with propane.
> Looks like the H1N1 flu aka the swine flu, did not drop prices as
> anticipated. The print media, and TV/radio kept using "swine" instead
> of the correct name. I thought to myself, good these ignorant
> reporters keep harping the "swine flu" all over the news. Maybe, I
> thought, the pork prices will come down. Well, they didn't.
> Whot hoppon??
> Guess the people were not as stupid as the media.
> And yes, I noticed the same thing you did.
> But once in a while, the ethnic markets will have butt for .99
> cents/lb. But you gotta check every week.
> Eddie

What Eddie said. But, watch out for those ethnic markets also.
Don't assume anything. Check carefully everytime. And yes,
check back often. Watch for those "loss leaders".

--
Brick said that.

On May 30, 9:14*pm, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:
> "Duwop" > wrote in message

> We shop differently. *I look at the weight before the total price.

My wife will probably be more careful in the future.

Brick wrote:
> On 30-May-2009, Eddie > wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 30 May 2009 16:26:01 -0700 (PDT), Tutall >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Last few years the butts locally were in twenty pound packs with two
>>> chunks of 10lbs each packed together usually about $1/lb. @ $20 per
>>> package.
>>>
>>> This year went to two stores (Costco and Smart and Final ) and both
>>> places had different brands, but both places the average package was
>>> 13lbs, not 20, and going for $1.50/lb. So total price was still about
>>> $20 per package.
>>>
>>> Same damn trick they're doing with propane.
>> Looks like the H1N1 flu aka the swine flu, did not drop prices as
>> anticipated. The print media, and TV/radio kept using "swine" instead
>> of the correct name. I thought to myself, good these ignorant
>> reporters keep harping the "swine flu" all over the news. Maybe, I
>> thought, the pork prices will come down. Well, they didn't.
>> Whot hoppon??
>> Guess the people were not as stupid as the media.
>> And yes, I noticed the same thing you did.
>> But once in a while, the ethnic markets will have butt for .99
>> cents/lb. But you gotta check every week.
>> Eddie
>
> What Eddie said. But, watch out for those ethnic markets also.
> Don't assume anything. Check carefully everytime. And yes,
> check back often. Watch for those "loss leaders".
>

One thing Seattle has in spades is ethnic markets. I see cheap flank steak,
cheap pork shoulder etc. but I've always been told that these are strictly grade
B meats, not prime, not choice, not grade A. So be careful.

seattlepitboss

On May 31, 1:29*pm, Grant Erwin > wrote:

>
> One thing Seattle has in spades is ethnic markets. I see cheap flank steak,
> cheap pork shoulder etc. but I've always been told that these are strictly grade
> B meats, not prime, not choice, not grade A. So be careful.
>

For the cuts we're talking about, who cares? Someone tries to sell me
a premium USDA Prime cut of any of those and I'm running the other
way. We've got an up scale market nearby that quoted me $4/lb for a
brisket, I laughed at em, Prime brisket my ass.

On Sat, 30 May 2009 16:26:01 -0700 (PDT), Tutall wrote:

> Last few years the butts locally were in twenty pound packs with two
> chunks of 10lbs each packed together usually about $1/lb. @ $20 per
> package.
>
> This year went to two stores (Costco and Smart and Final ) and both
> places had different brands, but both places the average package was
> 13lbs, not 20, and going for $1.50/lb. So total price was still about
> $20 per package.
>
> Same damn trick they're doing with propane.

Meat has always been priced per pound. I don't think it's
deceptive at all. It's just inflation.

It's when they put less into a container meant to look like the old
size that's deceptive.

Like the Mazola corn oil I started to buy last week. I picked up
the bottle and noticed it was unusually skinny. It was 40oz instead
of 48.

-sw

On Sat, 30 May 2009 16:26:01 -0700 (PDT), Tutall wrote:

> Last few years the butts locally were in twenty pound packs with two
> chunks of 10lbs each packed together usually about $1/lb. @ $20 per
> package.
>
> This year went to two stores (Costco and Smart and Final ) and both
> places had different brands, but both places the average package was
> 13lbs, not 20, and going for $1.50/lb. So total price was still about
> $20 per package.

Oh...And the Costco butts we get are boneless, which takes off a few
pounds. They part they take out actually has quite a bit of meat on
it. They sell just the bone-in centers at the HEB here. $1/lb,
half bone, but those muscles next to the bone are excellent.

-sw

On Sat, 30 May 2009 20:39:09 -0700 (PDT), Duwop wrote:

> Of course you're right, but that's also a bit trite. We'd become
> accustomed to the size and price and my wife got took in as she wasn't
> paying attention.

Choosing meat is a man's job. Let her pay for it, but
you pick the cuts.

> We needed to buy 80 pounds of raw butt, because of
> the size decrease she ended up with 52 and had to make another trip to
> the store.

Butts range anywhere from 5 to 12lbs. C'mon - you didn't really
send her to the store and tell her to buy 10 butts and just assume
that would be 80lbs?

The size of the butts are actually very dependant on current market
conditions. Pork prices low? Keep feeding them longer and hope
the prices go up. Pork prices high? Slaughter them a little
younger.

I really think you're taking this too personal :-)

-sw

On Sun, 31 May 2009 00:14:54 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

> We shop differently. I look at the weight before the total price.

Exactly, I consider the price per pound most of all, then size. I
never even considered pricing meat "per package"

-sw

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
> . I
> never even considered pricing meat "per package"
>

But I do stop and think before buying a $100 rib eye package

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
>> . I
>> never even considered pricing meat "per package"
>>
>
> But I do stop and think before buying a $100 rib eye package

Thats what I meant by price first, then size of the package.

My CostCo only sells tri-tip for $2.99/lb in the 20lb packages. Smaller
two-packs, when they have them, are $4.99. At those prices and size, I
can't justify buying either of them. The price difference between a whole
ribeye and a 3-pack of sliced ribeye is only $.50. I don't understand the
$2/lb markup for smaller packages of tri-tip. They don't even need
cutting, just re-wrapping.

-sw

On 31-May-2009, Grant Erwin > wrote:

> Brick wrote:
> > On 30-May-2009, Eddie > wrote:
> >
> >> On Sat, 30 May 2009 16:26:01 -0700 (PDT), Tutall >
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Last few years the butts locally were in twenty pound packs with two
> >>> chunks of 10lbs each packed together usually about $1/lb. @ $20 per
> >>> package.
> >>>
> >>> This year went to two stores (Costco and Smart and Final ) and both
> >>> places had different brands, but both places the average package was
> >>> 13lbs, not 20, and going for $1.50/lb. So total price was still about
> >>> $20 per package.
> >>>
> >>> Same damn trick they're doing with propane.
> >> Looks like the H1N1 flu aka the swine flu, did not drop prices as
> >> anticipated. The print media, and TV/radio kept using "swine" instead
> >> of the correct name. I thought to myself, good these ignorant
> >> reporters keep harping the "swine flu" all over the news. Maybe, I
> >> thought, the pork prices will come down. Well, they didn't.
> >> Whot hoppon??
> >> Guess the people were not as stupid as the media.
> >> And yes, I noticed the same thing you did.
> >> But once in a while, the ethnic markets will have butt for .99
> >> cents/lb. But you gotta check every week.
> >> Eddie
> >
> > What Eddie said. But, watch out for those ethnic markets also.
> > Don't assume anything. Check carefully everytime. And yes,
> > check back often. Watch for those "loss leaders".
> >
>
> One thing Seattle has in spades is ethnic markets. I see cheap flank
> steak,
> cheap pork shoulder etc. but I've always been told that these are
> strictly grade
> B meats, not prime, not choice, not grade A. So be careful.
>
> seattlepitboss

There's no law that says you can't judge the meat for yourself.
If your butcher is providing you with acceptable product, you
shouldn't care how it's graded. Regardless of the market,
America is quite ademant about the labelling of meat. It may
be not be labelled 'Select', 'Choice' or 'Prime' unless it has been
graded as such by the USDA. Meat has already been graded
when your butcher gets it. He doesn't get to make it up as he
goes.

It's kind of like airplanes. You can work on you own plane all
you want to, but you can't fly it until the FAA inspector certifies
it for flight.
--
Brick WA7ERO (Youth is wasted on young people)

On 31-May-2009, Duwop > wrote:

> On May 31, 1:29*pm, Grant Erwin > wrote:
>
> >
> > One thing Seattle has in spades is ethnic markets. I see cheap flank
> > steak,
> > cheap pork shoulder etc. but I've always been told that these are
> > strictly grade
> > B meats, not prime, not choice, not grade A. So be careful.
> >
>
> For the cuts we're talking about, who cares? Someone tries to sell me
> a premium USDA Prime cut of any of those and I'm running the other
> way. We've got an up scale market nearby that quoted me $4/lb for a
> brisket, I laughed at em, Prime brisket my ass.

LMAO. Well put Duwop. The only Prime butts I'm interested
in are the ones shopping in the market.
--
Brick WA7ERO (Youth is wasted on young people)

On 31-May-2009, Sqwertz > wrote:

> On Sat, 30 May 2009 16:26:01 -0700 (PDT), Tutall wrote:
>
> > Last few years the butts locally were in twenty pound packs with two
> > chunks of 10lbs each packed together usually about $1/lb. @ $20 per
> > package.
> >
> > This year went to two stores (Costco and Smart and Final ) and both
> > places had different brands, but both places the average package was
> > 13lbs, not 20, and going for $1.50/lb. So total price was still about
> > $20 per package.
> >
> > Same damn trick they're doing with propane.
>
> Meat has always been priced per pound. I don't think it's
> deceptive at all. It's just inflation.
>
> It's when they put less into a container meant to look like the old
> size that's deceptive.
>
> Like the Mazola corn oil I started to buy last week. I picked up
> the bottle and noticed it was unusually skinny. It was 40oz instead
> of 48.
>
> -sw

Don't that just frost your ass though? It was bad enough when we had
to shop carefully among brands for good quality. Now we have to
watch for packaging tricks as well.

--
Brick (Youth is wasted on young people)

On 31-May-2009, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:

> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
> > . I
> > never even considered pricing meat "per package"
> >
>
> But I do stop and think before buying a $100 rib eye package

It does kind of rock you back on your heels when you look at it
like that. I haven't bought a whole rib roast yet, but I have bought
whole NY Strips a few times. They're about half the price of
rib roasts. I bought a bag of beef tenderloins awhile back. That
was pretty cheap in untrimmed state. I think it was about five
bucks a pound. We're still working on that bunch. It was three
whole tenderloins. I can't remember what grade it was, but my
butcher seldom if ever puts out anything under 'Choice'. It
doesn't look like Prime to me.

Speaking of bulk meat purchases. I just received a supply of
FoodSaver 8 X 11.5" bags. $0.26/bag delivered. (Case Qty).
I had to drag my FoodSaver out of storage. My snorkel
machine went tits up temporarily. One of the cover latches
broke. There's no doubt that the FoodSaver bag is superior
to the snorkel bags I buy, but at 2-1/2 times the price, they
should be.
--
Brick WA7ERO (Youth is wasted on young people)

Ed Pawlowski wrote:

> The only thing that matters is the price per pound. I bought a couple of
> butts and they were about 16# total, a typical size here. Meat varies
> because the animals do so forget about package price. Boneless loins were
> 1.79 today, baby back 3.49, country ribs 1.29

Baby backs are $1.99/lb. If they get any lower than that I might actually
consider those a better value than spares for the same price.

I haven't smoked any baby backs since 2002.

-sw

Grant Erwin wrote:

> One thing Seattle has in spades is ethnic markets.

Racist Pig!

--
Kevin S. Wilson
University of Somewhere in Imahoe

Ed Pawlowski wrote:

> It may be a seasonal thing. Right now, country ribs are also in demand for
> the grill or smoker. Maybe they just cut the butts a little smaller to get a
> couple of ribs from each. If they are selling smaller butts, what do they
> do with the cut off?

I heard a Safeway commercial selling butts, butt steaks, and butt pieces
(country style ribs) for $1/lb this week. Which is unusual since the
nearest Safeway is probably 500 miles away - much farther than stereo FM
radio will travel.

Smaller butts come from smaller pigs. It really doesn't make much sense
pinch a faux rib off of each but. Just take a whole butt and you'll get
16 "ribs" (come of which will be boneless).

-sw

Sqwertz wrote:
> Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
>>> . I
>>> never even considered pricing meat "per package"
>>>
>>
>> But I do stop and think before buying a $100 rib eye package
>
> Thats what I meant by price first, then size of the package.

Err, I mean Price per Pound first, not total price. The total price is
almost irrelevant to me (unless it's over $100). It's how much freezer
space I have, the quality (esp in the case of beef) and how long it would
take to consume that item that I buy regularly (like Ribeye).

-sw

On May 31, 8:44*pm, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:
> But I do stop and think before buying a $100 rib eye package

I do too. Do I rush home and cook these immediately? Or do I wait
and cook em this afternoon?

-frohe

"Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
> $1.79 is pretty typical around here. They want $2.39 for "Smart Chicken"
> wings.
>
> Doesn't is suck how a formerly unwanted cut like chicken wings now costs
> more than most of the other parts? I can always buy thighs, drums, or leg
> quarters cheaper than wings, and sometimes even bone-in breasts.

I remember buying a big bag of wings for as low as 5¢ a pound. Then some
SOB in Buffalo spoiled that bargain for the rest of us. I like wings, but
not at the prices today.

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
> I remember buying a big bag of wings for as low as 5¢ a pound. Then some
> SOB in Buffalo spoiled that bargain for the rest of us. I like wings, but
> not at the prices today.

Wings are never on sale here. $1.79/lb disjointed in the 5lbs bags
frozen. $1.99/lb in trays (whole w/tips). They're about 50% bones by weight.

Compare that to $.99 for bone-in chicken breasts which are only 15% waste.

ObPorkPrices: $1.99/lb baby back ribs and country style ribs (from the
loin, not the butt) this week.

-sw